枝头 (zhī tóu) — tip of a branch; twig end | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

tip of a branchtwig end

Examples

枝头。
Xiǎo niǎo zhàn zài zhī tóu shàng chàng gē.
A little bird is standing on the branch tip and singing.
，枝头。
Qiū tiān dào le, zhī tóu guà mǎn le hóng hóng de guǒ shí.
Autumn has come, and the branch tips are full of red fruits.
枝头，。
Fēng chuī guò zhī tóu, yè zi fēn fēn luò xià.
The wind blows through the branch tips, and leaves fall one after another.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

枝 branch and 头 tip combine to mean the end of a twig.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木支枝

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

支

支zhī枝zhī

Same sound today

枝 shows 木 (tree) beside 支, which gives the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

豆頁頭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yèhead

Sound part声符shēngfú

豆

豆dòu頭tóu

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

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